Monday, November 04, 2013

Amazon Studios ramped up in earnest this year when the pilots were
posted online in April. Users were able to rate pilots with up to five
stars and offer comments, just as they would for a book or a George
Foreman grill on Amazon’s site.
The pilot data was sliced in various ways—the percentage of five-star
ratings, for example. Users also could fill out written surveys.
Executives in May reviewed data for each pilot as well as
recommendations from Amazon’s programming team.
Traditional networks test shows, too, but on a much smaller
scale—typically focus groups of about 50 people. Amazon is testing on a
vastly bigger audience and is collecting a range of metrics unique to
its service, such as whether members of its Prime service liked
particular shows.
...
“Amazon has lowered the barriers of getting a script in the right
hands,” he says. “I don’t think anyone else would have bought this.” He
feels that portrayals of kids on TV can be too simplistic—they’re often
very happy—and he wanted to explore a more complex set of emotions.
Amazon pays $55,000 for scripts submitted online. If the pilot is
successful and the series goes into production, creators get up to 5% of
merchandising receipts and a per-episode fee of $4,000 for a one-hour
show and $2,500 for a half-hour show. Deals set up offline with more
established creators vary depending on the writer’s reputation. One
uncertainty for Amazon creators is how much revenue potential there is
from “back end” proceeds such as syndication and DVD sales.

With so many things competing for your attention in this increasingly
digital world, it can be tough to figure out what to read
next—especially if you are looking for fresh voices and new
perspectives.
That’s why we created Day One,
a weekly literary journal dedicated to short fiction from debut
writers, English translations of stories from around the world, and
poetry. Day One showcases just one writer and poet each week, with issues delivered directly to Kindles or Kindle reading apps. Each issue of Day One
includes a letter from the editor, as well as occasional bonus content
such as playlists, illustrations, or brief interviews with the authors.
In addition to fresh voices, Day One offers unique visuals—we
commission the cover art for each issue from emerging artists and
illustrators—and each week subscribers can learn more about the artist
as well as the genesis of the cover.

McKinsey Quarterly article on business strategy formulation is interesting (McKinsey)

It’s also easy, though, to go too far in the other direction and make
the creation of strategy a rigid, box-checking exercise. Appealing as a
formula-driven approach might be, it ignores the truth that strategy
creation is a journey—and an inherently messy one at that. Proprietary
insights are hard to come by. Shaping keen insights into good strategies
requires deep interpersonal engagement and debate from senior
executives, as well as the ability to deal with ambiguity in charged and
often stressful circumstances. When would-be strategists overlook these
dynamics, they cover the essentials in name only. Consequently, they
miss opportunities and threats, or create great paper strategies that
remain unfinished in practice.
In this article, we’ll outline a
middle path—an end-to-end way of thinking that views the creation of
strategy as a journey, not a project. This method, developed through our
work with some 900 global companies over the past five years, can help
senior executives approach strategy in a rigorous and complete way.
We’ll also describe some principles that strategists should keep in mind
as they use the method to ensure that their strategic-planning
processes embody the spirit of debate and engagement, which, in turn,
yields inspiration. By better understanding both the method and how to
get the most out of it, companies can boost the odds that the strategies
they create will beat the market.

Folio Magazine published some results of their annual Association Publishing survey (Folio):

The 2013 association publishing survey breaks down what close to 200
respondents are seeing right now. Some elements, like revenue sources,
haven’t changed much over that time. Print advertising is still the
dominant source of income, followed by paid subscriptions and
online/emedia. Other aspects, like the outlook for the coming year, have shifted
dramatically. Respondents didn’t paint a rosy portrait—more than half of
the associations surveyed say they’re projecting revenue to stay the
same—but it’s a significant improvement from 2009 when 49 percent
forecasted declines. Other changes, like the introduction of digital editions, have
altered the association publishing market as well. Five years ago, no
one was producing them. Now, two thirds of respondents’ organizations
are.

From Twitter this week:

Follett Invests in Campus Quad Mobile Platform for College Campuses -- CHICAGO, Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- PressRelease
Courier Bringing Custom Textbook Production to Brazil StreetInsider
Netflix Flirts with a New Idea: “Big” Movies at Your House, the Same Day They're in Theatres :
AllthingsD
In the New Economy, Everyone Is an Indentured TaskRabbit NYMag

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Michael Cairns

Michael Cairns has served as CEO and President of several technology and content-centric business supporting global media publishers, retailers and service providers. He can be reached at michael.cairns@outlook.com and is interested in executive management and consulting, board and/or advisory positions. I am currently Managing Director with Digital Prism Advisors where we advise clients on digital and business transformation.

My career spans a wide range of publishing and information products, services and B2B categories and my operating and consulting experience has largely been with brand-name companies such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Macmillan, Inc., Berlitz International, AARP, R.R. Bowker and Wolters Kluwer.

I have served as a board member of the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and in addition to my responsibilities at R.R. Bowker, l also served as Chairman of the International ISBN Executive Committee.